


Of Fire and Water

by Twilight_Enterprises



Series: Child of the Sun and Moon [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Based on chapter 6 of Child of the Sun and Moon, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Jee is friendly, Jee is wholesome and we love him, Lu Ten (Avatar) Lives, Lu Ten is moments away from a breakdown at all times, Torture, What-If, Zhao (Avatar) Is An Asshole, Zuko is not having fun, all my homies hate Zhao, but like, for one sentence, fuck zhao, he just really loves his baby cousin, if you talk shit about Jee I will know and I will hunt you, it's short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:34:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29282310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Enterprises/pseuds/Twilight_Enterprises
Summary: Essentially what would have happened if Lu Ten took Zuko prisoner on Kyoshi Island instead of letting him go.Alternatively: Lu Ten hates it when the people he cares about are negatively affected by anything, ever, in any way.
Relationships: Iroh & Lu Ten, Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Lu Ten & Zuko
Series: Child of the Sun and Moon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150400
Comments: 50
Kudos: 72





	Of Fire and Water

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm sorry. I probably won't update Child of the Sun and Moon for a while, since I just started a 10-week math class that I've already failed a test in. So. Have this instead?  
> It won't make any sense if you haven't read up to and including chapter 6 of Child of the Sun and Moon. 
> 
> *Also I'm doing this from my mobile so the formatting might be a little weird.
> 
> Warnings for racism, mentions of rape, mental health of questionable quality, and just a little bit of torture. Also Zhao. Zhao gets a whole warning to himself.

The Fire Nation soldiers outnumbered them five to one, but the Kyoshi fighting style focused on dodging and using the opponent’s strength against them, allowing the warriors to dodge at nearly the last second and get in some quick hits while the soldiers were still finishing their attacks. 

For the most part, things were going well, until the man - the leader, who seemed to be obsessed with capturing Aang - accidentally set one of the buildings on fire while attacking one of the warriors named Rin. 

Since Azula was off fighting a different member of the man’s crew, and Katara was… somewhere, it was left to Zuko to put out the flames. It was one of the first things he’d taught himself, after breath control, to minimise accidents. 

The fire was quickly smothered, and the man whirled to look at Zuko. They stared at each other for a solid thirty seconds before Zuko decided to say something. 

“Hi. Hear you’re interested in capturing the Avatar. I hate to break it to you, but my brother and sister and I will be doing everything we can to prevent that from happening. Hope you don’t mind.”

The man continued staring at him, though his expression now said, _“What the actual fuck?”_

Zuko scowled. “There is one thing I’d like to discuss with you, though. You promised Aang you’d leave our village alone if he handed himself over to you. But we helped him escape, so he didn’t hold up his end. Did you leave the village alone, or did you go back and destroy it?”

The man looked scandalised now, like the thought of destroying the village hadn’t even crossed his mind. 

“Good,” Zuko said. “Because then I’d be trying to kill you, which would just be awkward because I’m really not a huge fan of ending someone’s life.” His mind helpfully supplied flashes of Kya’s death, which he angrily shoved aside. “Still gonna kick your ass, though, since we can’t have you following us _again.”_

The man shot a blast of fire at him, which Zuko dodged. He then thrust his own hand forward like he’d seen Aang do while airbending, and shot his own blast of fire. The man dissipated it easily. 

This continued for several long moments, during which Zuko realised that despite being heat resistant, he was most certainly _not_ fire resistant, as he and the man were both smoking, and his fingertips were somewhat scorched. The man’s weren’t, though, so he put that down to his own inexperience. 

Then the man shot a ball of flame that Zuko couldn’t quite dodge. It hit him square in the chest and sent him to the ground. He managed to put out the flames before they burned him too badly, but by then the man was already looming over him, fist burning threateningly. Zuko braced himself - 

“Prince Lu Ten!”

That was… unexpected. Zuko turned his head to see the owner of the voice, who, fortunately, came from the right. It was the old man who may or may not be named Iroh. 

The old man continued speaking, but Zuko found his attention captured by Lu Ten’s face. The name - and the face it was attached to - was almost familiar, like something from a dream he couldn’t quite remember. And, now that he thought about it, Possibly-Iroh’s voice sounded vaguely familiar as well, in the same manner. 

“The boy can’t be older than sixteen, my son! He is younger than you were when you first fought in this war. Are you really going to kill him?” Possibly-Iroh was saying. 

Lu Ten made a conflicted noise, and Possibly-Iroh used the opportunity to drive the point home. 

“He is too young to be a traitor to the Fire Nation. He won’t be the age of enlistment for another year at least, and the last ship to raid the South Pole sailed five years ago. This boy would have only been ten or eleven years old!”

The fire on Lu Ten’s fist flickered out, and he looked down at Zuko, his internal debate written clear across his face. Zuko, rather afraid, looked back. 

And then Lu Ten's fist came down on his head, and everything went dark. 

When Zuko awoke, he knew immediately that he wasn't on Kyoshi Island anymore. He recognized the gentle rocking that came with being on a ship, and the low thrum of a Fire Navy engine.

This was really not how he wanted to spend his day, but oh well. 

With more than a little annoyance, he blinked open his eye and inspected his situation.

He was in the brig, in a surprisingly large cell, with a small porthole just higher than his head. His wrists were shackled together and chained to the wall, presumably in an attempt to prevent him from firebending. 

Also, his head hurt. A lot. He probably had a mild concussion. 

So, because his day just _couldn't_ get any better, Lu Ten showed up. 

"What do you want from me?!" Zuko demanded. 

Lu Ten just tilted his head to the side thoughtfully.

"I'm never going to join you, if that's what you're after, and I'm not going to tell you how to find Aang."

More thoughtful staring.

"You may as well just kill me and save yourself the trouble."

Oh, _that_ got a response.

Lu Ten scowled. Clearly, he wanted Zuko alive.

And then he left, and Zuko was alone with his thoughts. 

"What do you mean, he told you to kill him?" Iroh asked.

Lu Ten shrugged. That was essentially what the kid had said. 

"Perhaps I should speak with him. Clearly he sees you as an enemy, but as he is less familiar with me..."

Lu Ten shrugged again. _Knock yourself out, Dad._

Zuko looked up at the sound of the door of the brig opening. 

The old man from earlier entered, carrying a tea set and sporting a friendly smile. 

"Hello!" he said cheerfully. "I don't believe we've had the chance to be properly acquainted."

Zuko snorted. "I'm your prisoner, of course we haven't. You're going to bring me to the Fire Nation, where they'll execute me as a traitor, so you might as well do it yourselves now and get it over with. Why does it matter that we haven't been _properly acquainted?"_

The old man frowned. "You are not going to be executed, child. It is clear to anyone who looks that you are too young to have committed treason."

"And how many of your people are going to look? How many of them will see my clothes and dismiss me as a trophy won in battle? How many of them will see my eye and dismiss me as a traitor?" Zuko stepped as close to the edge of his cell as his chains allowed him, exhaling a lick of flame inches from the old man's face. "How many would see the result of one of _your kind_ violating a woman from the Water Tribe? And of those people, how many would dismiss me as a savage and how many would have me tortured and brainwashed to be one of you?"

The old man gazed at him sadly. "I am afraid I cannot answer that, though I can tell you that we do not intend to harm you." He lifted his teapot. "I suppose there's no point in offering you a cup of calming jasmine tea?"

"I don't need any calming tea, I need to get back to my family!"

"I am sorry, child, but we cannot allow that."

"Then why are you still here?"

The old man collected his tea set and departed without another word. 

"Well, that could have gone better," Iroh noted.

Lu Ten pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Jee tentatively raised his hand. "I could try?"

The door was opening again.

Zuko couldn't be bothered to look up this time.

"Hi."

Hm. New voice. Zuko glanced at its owner, a tall man with close-cropped grey hair, then back at the wall.

"I'm Lieutenant Jee," the man continued. "So you're from the South Pole?"

"Yes," Zuko said stiffly.

"I see. You were born there, then?"

Zuko glared at him. "What are you trying to get out of me?"

Jee raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing, I'm just curious."

Zuko narrowed his eye. "...No. I wasn't born there. I was adopted when I was three."

"Oh. Why?"

"Because your people are so toxic that you even destroy yourselves," Zuko spat. "My mother knew that and ran the fuck away."

Jee hummed in acknowledgment. "You want to tell me your name? You know mine, it's only fair."

"...Zuko. My name is Zuko."

Jee was gone before he finished the last syllable.

"General Iroh, Prince Lu Ten, you're not going to believe this," Jee said, slightly out of breath. 

"What?" Iroh asked.

"The kid's mother fled from the Fire Nation when he was three, that's how he ended up in the Water Tribe."

Iroh nodded. "And?"

"And his name is _Zuko."_

Lu Ten dropped his teacup.

Aaaaaand the door was opening again. 

"What the fuck do you want now?" Zuko snapped. 

Lu Ten was staring at him like he was a spirit. And then he _talked._

"Your mother, what was her name?"

"Why do you care?"

_"What was her name?"_

"WHY?"

_"TELL ME!"_

"URSA! Ursa! There, are you happy now?"

"Fuck. _Fuck."_

"What?!"

Lu Ten's expression had morphed into an odd combination of fury and despair and hope.

_"FUCK!"_

"Lu Ten?" Iroh said gently, holding his arms out invitingly.

Lu Ten flopped into his dad's arms and sobbed. 

"It's him, isn't it."

"Mm-hm."

"Oh, my boy..."

They were following the Avatar's bison across the blockade. 

Iroh had given Zuko some jasmine tea as a birthday present. 

Zuko had asked how they knew it was his birthday. 

Iroh had cheerfully patted his shoulder through the bars and said, "Don't worry, nephew."

Lu Ten suspected this had just made Zuko more confused. 

Zhao stopped them just outside Fire Nation waters. 

He boarded their ship.

He had his men drag Lu Ten below deck and lock him up in his own brig.

And then Zhao saw Zuko, and Lu Ten started spitting fire. 

"And who is this? A Water savage worth imprisoning? My my, Your Highness, what _have_ you been up to?" Zhao reached through the bars of Zuko's cell and gripped his chin. "Oh? Golden eyes... so _this_ is the wayward firebender your crew told us about back at my port."

"Don't touch him," Lu Ten growled.

Zhao quirked an eyebrow. "So you do speak. I feel honoured." He leaned closer to Zuko, inspecting his face. "Why are you bothered by this?"

Lu Ten snarled. He couldn't tell _Zhao_ why Zuko was so important. 

Zhao stepped into Zuko cell. "You are but a child," he said. "I wonder..." He ripped the back of Zuko's tunic open and pressed his fingers between Zuko's shoulder blades, and, to Lu Ten's horror, _set his hands on fire._

Zuko screamed. Lu Ten screamed with him.

Ultimately, Zhao returned to his own ship and let them pass. 

Lu Ten slathered burn salve on Zuko's back and gave him a new tunic. 

They took a skiff and went to the Fire Temple.

Lu Ten pressed his forehead to his baby cousin's and said, as steadily as he could, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Now go help the Avatar."

And so he let him go.

**Author's Note:**

> This basically completely alters the timeline of a fic entirely based on an altered timeline, because Lu Ten realises Zuko is alive like, seven chapters early, thus kickstarting his realisation that Azulon and Ozai are trash.


End file.
